Brighton's Best Pizza 2018

Meet the city's upper crust

What do the city of Brighton and pizza have in common? Both are cheesy, vaguely cosmopolitan and irresistible when you’re drunk.

Pizza-pioneer Raffaele Esposito first garnished a humble flatbread with basil, mozzarella and tomato in the colours of the Italian flag as a gift to Margherita of Savoy back in in 1889 (true story). Since then chefs around the world have been competing to forge the very finest.

But of all the countless pizza joints in Brighton and Hove, which is the best? Join us for a slice of the action, as we uncover the most delicious pizza in town.

Worth a visit just to a gawp at the stunning, mosaic-tiled pizza oven, all surrounded by modish seating wherein handsome chefs knead and toss mounds of floury dough. Fatto A Mano’s new corner spot in Hove is fun, friendly, and outrageously chic. Sneak upstairs and bag a table on the mezzanine, all the better to watch the chichi locals tuck into light, pillowy dough doused in seasons and toppings. The veggie calzone is a moist, moreish revelation. The white pizza - to some, a pizza blasphemy - somehow holds its own. Invest in a decent bottle of red, and savour a slice of the good life.

Taking the title for the UK’s first plant based pizzeria, is Brighton’s very own Purezza! Their menu consists of exciting vegan pizzas such as the Parmigiana party (smoked mozzarella, fried aubergines, sliced sausages, topped with basil and nutritional yeast), Fumosa (smokey tomato base, chestnut mushrooms, smoked beet and fried tofu, topped with BBQ sauce) and One night in Bangkok (white base with stir fried vegetables, sprouted beans, sriracha sauce, topped with peanut sauce). Pizza bases include tasty sourdough, hemp flour and a delish gluten free option. Those creative animal lovers also have a whole host of cruelty free cheeses - rice-blend mozzarella, coconut, almond and cashew based fromage. YUM.
If you’re still feeling munchy after all that, why not try one of their mouth watering vegan puds, the Tiramisu is calling out to you!

Don’t be put off by the cheesy name - it stands for Very Italian Pizza. The family behind this joint go back five generations, and source ingredients from their very own Neapolitan farm. Pitch-perfect Italian design, including light fittings you’ll want to steal, underline the relaxed dolce vita vibe. You’ll feel reassured by the cluster of foxy Italian students who make this their main Brighton hangout. The food? Bellissima! The charcuterie board is the perfect window display for their on-site delicatessen. Most importantly, the pizza? The kitchen’s light, unobtrusive choice of yeast allows the other ingredients to sing. The quattro formaggi is rich and complex, while the eponymous VIP pizza is a decadent combo of mozzarella, black truffle cream, porcini wild mushroom and sausage. Polish off with a tiramisu, then tell everybody on social media you’ve found a very important place.

From the same trio that brought you mouthwatering cuban sandwiches at Idle Hands, and moreish tacos at Marwoods, the Wolfsmouth team are now taking over the kitchen at Dead Wax Social to bring you sensational Brooklyn-style pizzas.
Get a load of this, 12’ sourdough bases topped with unreal ingredients such as clams, napoli salami, and figs. Our favourite is the Prosciutto with a white base, mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, spinach, prosciutto toscana, peach and white balsamic. Vegan cheese is also available as a substitute or addition to any of these devilishly good little pizzas. You will most definitely want to try a pizza this place.

Upcoming Wriggles

A vintage Citroen H-Van is where Woodbox originally came to life. In 2013 armed with a classic set of wheels, a wood fired oven and some delicious Napoli style sourdough, these delicious street pizzas were sold to the masses at food markets and festivals across the UK. Due to the impeccable reputation the touring Neapolitan food had built, the Woodbox Pizzeria opened last year in the heart of Kemptown. Offering the same traditional Napoli style pizzas, made with locally sourced Sussex ingredients and blended with fine Italian flour, you’ll really want to get a pizza this action. The decor is modern, clean and simple with an emphasis on top quality food. Make sure you save room for pud cos their authentic gelato is worth more than a pretty penny.

Upcoming Wriggles

You know a pizza parlour is special if it still pushes the retro combination of ham and pineapple. Believe it or not, Pizzaface pulls off this dowdiest of throwbacks with real élan. Elsewhere on the menu, the outrageous jakub pizza is deservedly the stuff of local legend. This brawny pizza pie is topped with chorizo, pork and wild boar salami, caramelised onion, mascarpone, a sprinkle of dried chilli flakes, and a twist of oregano. Don’t panic, they also have a strong vegan options and a cracking range of booze. Hip lighting and understated decor seal the deal.

Escape the ordinary with a spectacular cosmic pizza from the new kitchen at The West Hill Tavern. These pizza aficionados are dishing out Neapolitan style homemade stone-baked 12 inchers from Tuesday to Saturdays with a variety of meat, fish, veggie and vegan toppings.
Each pizza is lovingly made with caputo 00 flour (the gold standard when it comes to pizza flour), layered with either a homemade cream or tomato base and topped with exciting ingredients such as eggs, bacon and black pudding, or pulled bbq jackfruit, seitan, charred sweetcorn, pineapple and vegan mozzarella. Wriggle’s favourite is the Spring Green - cream based with purple sprouting broccoli, courgette, spring onion and mozzarella. It really is out of this world.

Upcoming Wriggles

A true taste of Italy in a restaurant where everything is stunningly homemade. If you haven’t tried a Ciaccini or “white pizza” then you’re in for a treat. Made without tomato sauce, Pizza500 have perfected it - all thanks to the fresh Mozzarella and excellent combinations (Bresaola and Rocket are a particular favourite).
As to be expected, the stars of the show are the Pizzas. On homemade bases with over twenty different combinations, this really is Italian dining at its best. It's rustic, not refined - but they have captured the perfect taste of Italy. If you want to really treat yourself, the Granducato is not to be missed.

Situated amongst the hustle and bustle of West Street, Nuposto has quickly become one of the city’s favourite pizza places and it’s not hard to see why. Bringing traditional Naples style pizza to the heart of Brighton in a relaxed and modern setting, many flock to Nuposto for a bite to eat after a long day relaxing down the beach. The pizza dough is made fresh on site and the menu includes classics from the Margherita to the Wriggle favourite, the Amalfi, which is topped with Italian sausage, friarielli and smoked mozzarella – quite simply, stunning! Once you’ve eaten your fill, relax by grabbing a drink at the bar or choose something sweet from their dessert menu whilst you sit back and watch the pizza makers spin their dough at the back of the room.

Pizza Me is Brighton’s best-kept pizza secret. You will find it hiding at the bottom of Elm Grove making authentic pizzas from scratch in their little kiosk. By using traditional ingredients but offering a modern twist, they’ve created something unique. Fear not vegans, they’re all over the mock meats and cheeses, alongside the typical options. They’ve mastered the other toppings too, expect the likes of Wild Boar Salami and Sardinian Pecorino. Grab a slice on your lunchbreak or treat yourself to a ‘Gigante’, but if you don’t reckon you can carry an 18 inch pizza up the dreaded hills of Hanover, take it down to the neighbouring Level and enjoy it there.